Sound-box.



P. CATUCCI.

SOUND BOX. APPLICATION man SEPT. 4. 1915.

Patented Apr. 18,1916

the city of Newark, county of Essex,

s rat-tr enrich.

PLINY CATUCCI, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB TO A. F. MEISSELBACH &

BROTHER, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SOUND-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. its, 1916.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, BLINY Cxrnccr, a citizen of the United States, residing in and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sound- Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

In my Patent No. 1,059,3l6, 22nd, 1913, I have described and claimed an improved sound box for talking machines, wherein the stylus lever is secured to the sound box body by means of what I therein term, an equalizing bar, which is so constructed and mounted as to bear with equal pressure upon lateral extending arms from the stylus bar or lever; the equalizing bar having knife edges so that the microoscillations of the stylus bar or lever shall be retarded to as slight a degree as possible.

The present invention relates to an improvement in the construction and mounting of the equalizing bar so as to reduce the cost of construction, the number of parts neces sary, and yet to preserve all of the advan tages of the structure of my prior patent.

It also relates to improvements in the construction of the sound box body and the means for supporting the diaphragm in said body whereby all of the elements of said box body are constructed of pressed metal stamped by means of punches and dies from sheet metal, so that the parts may be assembled and held togethcr by means of what I term the force lit.-.that is to say the elements of the box body are so nicely constructed that the parts may be forced to gether into intimate frictional engagement, so that when assembled the box body forms a substantially integral structure without the possibility oi the shifting or rattling of the parts in. ordinary use.

In carrying out my invention 1 make use of the structure as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whcrcin-- Figure l. is a face view of a sound box made in :mcordance with my improvement. Fig. 2, is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3, is a sectional view through the center of the sound box and stylus lever. Fig. l. is a bottom elevation partly in section. Fig.

is a plan view of the diaphragm retaining ring. Fig. (5, illustrates a slightly ditferent form of stylus lever support as apdated April plied to what is known in the art as a concert sound box. Fig. 7, is a side elevation, and Fig. 8, is a bottom plan view of the same. Fig. 9, is a plan of the stylus lever. Fig. 10, is a side view of the stylus lever. Fig. 11 is a, bottom plan view of the equalizing bar, and Fig. 12, is a. detached side elevation of the same.

Similar letters of reference refer to like parts throughout the specification and drawings.

'The box body is made up of the cupshapcd element 1, provided with the annular flange '2, and central aperture 3. Into this aperture is forced the thimble i, by which the sound box is attached to the tone arm of a gramophone or talking machine. The thimhle l, is provided with a lateral extending disk element 5, provided with an offset margin 6. Secured by means of rivets 7 to the elements 1 and 5, is the annular weight 8, which serves the double purpose of adding weight to the sound box, and of re ducing the space between the diaphragm and the rear of the box body. The means for supporting the diaphragm in posit on comprise the channel-shaped open ring 9, together with the tubular gaskets 10. The ring 9. is made of spring metal and when detached is somewhat larger in diameter than the flange 2,.so that the ring may be sprung into place and held in position by frictional engagement with the flange 2. The diaphragm 11 is located between the two gaskets 10, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. Projecting from the lower part of the flange 2. and integral therewith. is the stylus supporting arm'l'Z, which is provided with a central depression 13, clearlv shown in Fig. l. The stylus lever l-l, has its rectangular arm ll rigidly secured in any convcnicnt. manner to the center of the diaphragm l1, and extends substantially parallel to the plane of the diaphragm over and beyond the pro jcction 12. The stylus lever ll is provided with latcral,arms or wings 15, which rest upon the plain upper surface of the projection 12, which is also provided with a thumb screw 16, by means of which the stylus needle 17 may be held in place.

Firmly bearing upon the arms 15. and

pressing them into close contact with the up- 12. is the equalizthe knrte edges per face of the projection ing bar 18, provided with projection 12.

19, for engagement with the upper surfaces of the wings or arms 15. The equalizing bar 18 is provided with the semi-circular notch 20, of sufiicient size to permit the body of the stylus lever 1% to pass thereunder without contact therewith. Rigidly secured to the outer ends of the equalizing bar, in any convenient manner, as by means of the lugs 21 entering corresponding apertures 22, and riveted therein, is a yoke 23, which extends beneath the projection 12 and is provided with an adjusting screw 24 to engage the under side of the depressed portion 13 of the By this means the knife edges 19 of the equalizing bar 18, may be drawn firmly against the upper surface of the wings l5, and thereby hold the stylus lever firmly in place, at the same time .per-

. mitting the slight micro-oscillations of the stylus lever 14 without materially retarding or damping them.

In Figs. 6 to 10, I have shownia slightly modified form for use upon what is known the concert sound box. Such sound boxes are necessarily considerably larger in order to provide for the increased diameter of the diaphragm In this case the box body 25 and its attaching thimble 26, may be of the form shown, or any convenient form or structure. The stylus lever 27 is connected to the cente'r'of the diaphragm 28, in any convenient or desired manner, and projects radially across the rim of the box 25, as

' clearly shown in Figs. 6 and 7= The lateral arms 29 project from the side of the stylus lever 27 which, by the way, is made of thin, but very stiff sheet metal pressed to shape. It is also provided with an aperture 30 of considerable size, which isin alinement with the two arms 29.

Inserted into the rim of the'box 25, underneath the two arms 29, are the two studs or posts 31, in position for the two arms 29 to rest thereon. The equalizing bar 32 in this case consists of a block of metal provided with, a channel 33 in its under side, and the two downwardly projecting arms 34, which in turn are provided upon their lower surfaces with the two knife edges 35. These knife edges are made to bear upon the wings or arms 29, and press them into intimate engagement with the exposed ends of the two studs or posts 31. As a means for pressing these arms into such engagement through the medium of the bar 32,-I provide the screw 36 which passes through an aperture in the bar 32, and is screwed into the rim of the box body 25. This at once forms a convenient and firm attachment by means of which the stylus lever is firmly held in position and yet permitted all of the microoscillations necessary to accurate rendition of sound. The stylus bar 27 is provided with the usual set screw 37 stylus needle in place.

for holding the two posts 31 may be dispensed with and By the constructions above described, I am enabled to very materially reduce the cost of construction inasmuch as it is well known that pressed or stamped metal parts are very much cheaper than machined parts, and at the same time I am enabled to preserve all of the features of advantage of my prior patent.

By the provision of the equalizing bar 18, and its yoke 23, with the single set screw 24, and the equalizing bar 32 with the set screw 37, the parts of the respective forms are held together by but a single screw. This not only reduces the cost of manufacture of the parts, but at the same time very materially reduces the time and cost of assembling'the parts when finished .While I have shown the as made of a block that it may be constructed of a single piece of sheet metal of sufficient gage or thickness and pressed into the general shape indicatedin Figs. 11 and 12. If desired the the wlngs or arms 29 may be permitted to rest directly upon the face of the sound box rim 25. These, however, are minor manufacturing details and would suggest themselves to any person skilled in the art without further illustration or description.

I claim:

1. In a sound box, the combination of a box body, a diaphragm secured therein, a stylus lever centrally secured to said diaphragm, a pair of supporting arms integral with and extending laterally from said lever,'an equalizing bar having knife edges thereon for pressing said supporting arms against a part of said box body, and a single screw adjustably connecting said bar to said box body.

2. In a sound box, the combination of a box body and a stylus lever, means for securing said lever to said body comprising a pair of laterally extending arms integral with said lever, an equalizing bar spanning said lever, and having a pair of knife edges which bear with equal pressure upon said arms. and a single screw for securing said bar to said box body.

3. In a sound box, the combination of a box body having a lateral projection thereon, a stylus lever having a lateral arm upon and integral witheach side thereof resting upon said projection, an equalizing bar spannin said lever and having a pair of knife e ges which bear upon said arms, a yoke extending beneath said projection and connected respectively to the ends of said equalizing bar, and a screw passing through said yoke and bearing upon the underside of said projection for drawing the knife edges of said bar d'own upon said lateral arms.

4. In a sound box, the combination of a box body and a stylus lever, lateral arms equalizing bar 32 upon said lever, means for securing said stylus lever to said box body comprising an equalizing bar having knife edges which bear upon and press said arms firmly against said box body, and a screw for securing said equalizing bar to said box body.

In a sound box, the combination of a box body having a lateral projection thereon, a stylus lever haying elastic arms projecting laterally therefrom, and an equalizing bar spanning said le er secured to said projection by a single screw for firmly pressing'said arms upon said lateral projection.

(3. In a sound box, the combination of a box body having a lateral projection thereon, a stylus lever ha ing lateral supporting arms bearing upon said projection, equalizing means for firmly pressing said arms with equal pres ure upon said projection, and a single screw for securing said equalizing means to said projection.

T. Means for securing a stylus lever to a sound box body, comprising an equalizing bar adapted to span said lever and bear upon and firmly press lateral pro ections thereon upon a part oi sald sound box, and

a single screw for centrally securing said bar to said box body.

8. In a sound box, a box body comprising a centrally apertured circular disk having a marginal flange thereon. an open spring ring having inturned marginal flanges, said ring being adapted to be sprung within the marginal flange of said disk, a pair of annular gaskets located within said ring and between its marginal flanges, and a diaphragm PLINY CATUCCI.

.In presence of L. M. Sxxm-zns, NORMAN F. ZUSI.

tl'onlee of thin patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G." 

